Moving your browser to a new Mac without losing anything
· 5 min read
The browser is where most people actually work, and moving it is treated as an afterthought. Bookmarks come across easily. Passwords, extensions, open tabs and the accumulated logged-in state of every site you use are all separate problems.
Start with what syncs by itself
If you use a browser account, most of this is already solved: sign in on the new Mac and wait.
Safari syncs bookmarks, tabs, history and passwords through iCloud, if enabled in System Settings under your name. Passwords sync through iCloud Keychain, which is separate and worth confirming.
Chrome, Firefox and Edge each sync bookmarks, passwords, extensions and open tabs through their own accounts.
If you are signed in, do nothing else: sign in on the new machine and let it settle for ten minutes.
If you are not signed in
Export before the old Mac is gone. This is the part people leave too late.
Bookmarks. Every browser exports to an HTML file. Safari: File, Export, Bookmarks. Chrome and Firefox: through the bookmark manager. That file imports into any browser, including a different one.
Passwords. Every browser exports to CSV. Safari: Settings, Passwords, then the three-dot menu, Export.
A CSV of passwords is a plain text file containing every password you own. Export it, import it, then delete it properly and empty the Trash. Do not leave it in Downloads, do not email it to yourself, and do not put it on a cloud drive.
Extensions. Do not export. Make a list. Screenshot the extensions page on the old Mac and reinstall from it.
Open tabs. Safari and Firefox reopen windows from the previous session if you move the profile. Simpler is to bookmark all open tabs into a folder before you move: in Safari, Bookmarks, Add Bookmarks for These Tabs.
Copying the profile wholesale
Possible, and works better for some browsers than others.
Firefox profiles live in ~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/. Copying the whole profile folder to the same location on the new Mac brings everything: bookmarks, passwords, extensions, cookies, history, open tabs.
Chrome’s is at ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/.
Safari’s data is split across ~/Library/Safari/ and the keychain, and copying it by hand is not reliable. Use iCloud sync for Safari.
Two cautions with wholesale copying. Copy while the browser is closed on both machines, and copy rather than move so the original stays intact until you have confirmed it worked.
The thing nobody thinks about: staying logged in
Cookies are what keep you signed in to a hundred sites. They live in the profile, and if you move bookmarks and passwords but not cookies, you will be signed out of everything.
That is not a disaster, and it is a fortnight of two-factor prompts. If you have a password manager and your two-factor codes are accessible, it is fine. If your two-factor is tied to the old machine, sort that out before you erase it.
That last point is the one that causes real trouble. Check where your authenticator lives before moving anything.
Order of operations
- On the old Mac, confirm what syncs and turn on sync if it is not.
- Export bookmarks and passwords as files, as a fallback even if sync works.
- Screenshot the extensions list.
- Bookmark all open tabs into a folder.
- Confirm your two-factor codes are reachable from something other than this Mac.
- On the new Mac, sign in and let sync run.
- Reinstall extensions from the list.
- Delete the exported password file and empty the Trash.
Moving between different browsers
Easier than people expect. Every browser imports from every other on first run, and offers it during setup.
What does not transfer is extensions, which have to be found again, and any browser-specific feature. Safari profiles do not map onto Chrome profiles, for instance. Safari profiles covers what those do.
Questions
Should I use the browser’s password manager or a dedicated one? A dedicated manager is more portable between browsers and platforms, and works for things that are not websites. The built-in ones are genuinely good now and tie you to that ecosystem. Either is far better than reusing passwords.
Will my saved payment cards move? Usually not through export, and often through account sync. Assume you will re-enter them.
Can I move history? Through sync, yes. Through export, generally not; the export formats cover bookmarks and passwords only.
What if the old Mac is already erased? If you used sync, everything is recoverable by signing in. If not, bookmarks and passwords are gone unless they are in a backup. This is the argument for signing in to sync even if you dislike it.